Shohei Ohtani

Ohtani could be the best player ever to come to MLB from Japan. In addition to racking up 624 strikeouts and posting a 2.52 ERA along with a 1.08 WHIP in 543 innings over the last five seasons with th...

Ohtani (ankle, elbow) will not only be available to pinch hit on days where he is not pitching or starting at DH, but he will be available as a pinch runner as well, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Angels hope that Ohtani (ankle, elbow) will be able to make two or three starts per week as a designated hitter, though manager Mike Scioscia noted the 23-year-old's greatest impact will come on the mound, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports. "He's probably going to influence our team more as a pitcher," Scioscia said. "But that's not to say he's not going to have a chance to make a difference on the offensive end, too."

Ohtani has a first-degree sprain of his right ulnar collateral ligament and underwent a platelet-rich plasma shot in October to treat elbow pain, Yahoo Sports reports. Ohtani is also returning from ankle surgery in October.

Ohtani is arguably the top player in the world not in MLB. The Japanese star not only throws 102 mph and had a 1.86 ERA last season, but also hit 22 home runs with a 1.004 OPS as a DH for the Nippon Ham Fighters. Ohtani appeared to be all but set to make his move to MLB following the 2017 season, but changes in the new in the new collective-bargaining agreement that restrict MLB teams' spending on international free agents under age 25 may push his arrival back as far as 2020.

2015

Ohtani made headlines as a two-way player, Japan's first since the '60s, as a rookie in 2013. He made even more headlines as a sophomore in 2014 by comprehensively improving both sides of his game. Ohtani regularly hit 100 mph on the radar gun, and went 11-4 with a 2.61 over 155.1 innings, striking out 179 while walking 57. At the plate, Ohtani slashed .274/.314/.444 over 234 plate appearances, hitting 17 doubles and 10 home runs. Ohtani's future is pretty clearly on the mound at this point, but he's a tantalizing talent in either role. He's a keeper prospect to monitor.